


Frost and Flowers

by Beth Harker (chiana606)



Category: Little Women Series - Louisa May Alcott
Genre: F/M, Gen, it's little women we all know who is sitting on death's door in this one, suggested eventual canon compliant character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 15:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9332291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiana606/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Beth gets a postcard that helps her understand why Jo turned down Laurie's proposal.





	

The frost was making flowers on the windowpanes. They glinted and sparkled in the cold sun. Beth ran her thin fingers over the glass, and wondered what she would have been, if she'd ever learned embroidery well enough to copy the intricate designs, that stretched out before her day in and day out, works of God and nature.

Beth could sew big, clumsy peonies onto any surface she wished. It was the kind of thing that made people smile, even if it was stupid and childish coming from a woman of nineteen, who might well have a household to run if life hadn't gotten away from her. Sometimes, when she thought of how unsuited she was to do anything but stay at home with Marmee and father and Jo, the little ways that her body betrayed her came almost as a relief. 

That was why Laurie's postcard, addressing her as _my dearest Mozart_ was so strange. It was from France, and it had a a funny photograph of a kitten playing the piano on it. It was some time before Beth showed it to Jo. 

"I know he's trying to rouse me," she said. "And it really is dear of him, but I can see better now why you turned him down."

A look that Beth couldn't quite describe passed over Jo's face, and then quickly disappeared. She ran her fingers through Beth's hair, which was very long, but scraggly and thin these days. She never bothered to tie it up anymore, since she never went out. 

"And why is that, Bethy?" Anyone else may well have gotten a tirade about the many reasons that Jo would not marry Laurie to please anyone, least of all him, but with Beth, Jo had always been in the habit of just listening. 

"He mistakes the pleasure I take in my music for genius," Beth explained. "He always has. I think if I _was_ in any way truly exceptional at it I'd be quite frightened of myself, and I wouldn't be able to play another note." 

"He should know better than to tease," Jo said, with a bit of a sigh. She'd often been the one to praise Beth's music even more highly than Laurie did, but she didn't say a word about that now. 

"It's easy to see how he might also mistake friendship for love," Beth said. "Are all boys that way?" 

" _I_ wouldn't be," said Jo, with a short laugh. "Never have been." 

"Do you miss him?" Beth asked. 

"I don't miss his nonsense. If only we were fifteen and sensible again, I'd rather like to have him here, but since there's no going back, there's nothing else to do but go on forward with more suitable companions. You for instance." Here Jo smiled, patted Beth's hand, and then stood up in a business like sort of way, smoothing out her skirts as she did so. 

"Soup for lunch?" Jo asked, as if the two of them had been talking about nothing. 

"Yes please. Could you put the card on top of my shelf?" 

Jo nodded. She took the card from Beth, studied it briefly, and then put it up next to the six or seven that Amy had sent her.


End file.
